Matt

Matt’s Story

Growing up in Austin there were two things you did as a kid, play football and watch the Texas Longhorns and as far back as I can remember, I did both. I started playing Pop Warner football and age 8 and also signed up for Little Dribblers (basketball). I loved playing any sport but football was my passion. Fast forward a few years to Junior High – I didn’t grow much and it was pretty obvious that if I tried to make the team I would be killed. I was small, fast, and skilled …and I needed a new sport. At age 11, I started playing organized hockey. It was perfect for me! I could use my speed and agility from football but not have to worry about getting pummeled by guys twice my size. I have to say, I was pretty damn good at hockey. I always played up to my competition and played in adult leagues as a teenager. At 15 I was on an 18+ year old men’s travel team that won state (two years in a row) and a bronze medal at the USAH National Championships.

As I got older, being a “grown up” kind of took over and hockey wasn’t much of a priority. I went from skating every day, sometimes twice a day, to playing hockey once or twice a week. The other problem was, I was still eating like I was 15 years old – pizza, soda, chips; it didn’t matter. In my early 20’s my asthma was getting worse. I started having back pains, and I was getting what I call “soft around the edges.” I had never been fat before and didn’t like where I was headed, so I knew I had to make a change.

The first thing I changed was my food. I didn’t know jack about nutrition and I just thought that if you didn’t eat a lot you would be thin. I did the ignorant thing that most people do and that was to cut calories and not eat fat. I went from a squishy 170lbs down to a rail thin 130. That wasn’t fun both because I was tired all the time and I had the body of a pre-pubescent boy. I got online and started researching nutrition. I came across FDN (functional diagnostic nutrition) and Weston A. Price. A lot of stuff I read talked about eating a natural, whole food diet that our ancestors ate (Paleo, but before I knew it was called that). It stressed the importance of eating grass-fed, pasture raised animals, organic vegetables and healthy fats. I slowly started implementing these foods into my diet and began P90X. I definitely started seeing some changes. My asthma got better and no back pains. They were small but I had some lean muscles and I could do pull ups and I got bored. Enter CrossFit.

While researching nutrition I came across functional exercise – CrossFit. Before I even did a workout I was hooked! The videos and articles were convincing enough. I was trying to find workouts I could do at home that didn’t involve much weights and found a spicy little workout called “Angie” (100 pull ups, 100 push-ups, 100 sit ups, 100 squats). I’ve done P90X, I can do pull ups, I can do push-ups, I got this! I didn’t know how to do kipping pull ups, so 100 strict pull ups later and finishing the whole workout in over 24 minutes, I didn’t have it.

My first real CrossFit workout (not at home) was at CrossFit Cedar Park on October 29, 2011, their Halloween Open Gym. Not only was this the first time I would be working out where other people could see me but it was with a bunch of fitness freaks dressed up, well, like freaks. The community of CFCP, the camaraderie, the coaches and the awesome workout was so amazing and palpable you could almost touch it. I knew that CFCP was the place to be!

Let me just say this, I hate cubicles, I hate sitting at a computer all day, and it wasn’t for me. After a while I starting thinking that there’s more to life and I need to do something I’m passionate about.

CrossFit Cedar Park had their first MAD Athlete Camp in the summer of 2012. It was an amazing weekend and I learned from some great coaches and athletes. With what I knew about nutrition and what I was learning from CrossFit, I wanted to apply those things and help other people. Shortly after the MAD Camp I asked Dave and Robin if I could intern. Spoiler alert – they said “yes”.

Through CrossFit I’ve been able to regain my fitness but also do things I never thought possible. Even in my 30’s I continue to grow stronger as an athlete and as a person. It’s the people of CFCP and their dedication to fitness and a better life that makes me appreciate and realize that I made the right decision to leave the corporate world behind and pursue a way more satisfying and rewarding career. I’ve never used the word “career” before in my life, I’ve always had jobs. I can absolutely say that this is my career and I love every minute of it! I’m committed to improving as a coach and person every day in order to help others with their health and fitness.

Much of the thanks goes to the clients of CFCP, the Tillman’s, and all of the coaches I’ve had the privilege of knowing and learning from.